Walk With Me (Hiatus)
by TheWalkingDeadNorm
Summary: Charlotte Landon's life spirals out of her control when a terrifying virus brings the dead back to life to devour the living. The thirty-eight-year-old police officer doesn't see any good coming from the new world after losing her husband and believes it's easier to end it all rather than continuing on the rocky and dangerous path.[Summary continued inside] Daryl/OC


**Summary:**

 _Charlotte Landon's life spirals out of her control when a terrifying virus brings the dead back to life to devour the living._

 _The thirty-eight-year-old police officer doesn't see any good coming from the new world after losing her husband and believes its easier to end it all rather than continuing on the rocky and dangerous path, but a reality check from the daring redneck changes her mind, and she soon finds a reason to keep living._

 _When the group finally feel like they are figuring the new way of living out, tragedy strikes and Charlotte is no longer sure if she can continue this path._

* * *

 **Walk With Me**

 **\- Chapter One -**

 _"I swear, Walsh, keep looking at me like that, and I'll chop your dick right off and feed it to fluffy!" Charlotte Landon exclaimed as she looked across at him._

 _Shane Walsh laughed and rolled the window of the police cruiser down to through his rubbish in the bin beside the car. "Come on babe, who names a Great Dane Fluffy?"_

 _She glared at him. "I do, obviously."_

 _"Why are you so testy today, usually I can flirt with you until the cows come home, all I did was look at you, and you're biting my dick off," he chuckled._

 _Charlotte sighed and started the car. She drove steadily down the clear road. "Just one of those days, I guess," she mumbled. She wanted to talk about her problems; maybe it would make her feel better to have them out in the open, but she also didn't want to be teased or told she was in the wrong. She hated being in the wrong._

 _"Is it Matthew?" He asked. He knew that their relationship had become rocky since Matthew -her husband was laid off work after an injury._

 _"You could say that, but he would only claim it was me that caused all the trouble. Apparently, I'm too damn emotional," she huffed._

 _Shane chuckled. "Well, you are a woman."_

 _"Oh yes, because all women are emotionally messed up and cry at the sight of puppies and newborn babies!" She snapped sarcastically. "I could do anything he could, probably ten times better!" She hated that everyone believed she was more or less useless because she was a woman. It didn't help that she was one of few women at the station. The other women at the station were more like the men and fit in well. Whereas Charlotte was always being teased by the other people, she worked with._

 _"I like your determination," Shane smirked. "But could you?" He questioned with a smirk._

 _Charlotte growled. "I'm glad my shifts over," she huffed as she pulled into the station car park._

 _"Yeah, well I've got another shift with Ol' Ricky, he's as bad as you with the emotional shit," he said, rolling his eyes._

 _Charlotte unbuckled her seat belt and shook her head. "You're just jealous that you don't have a girlfriend if you did you'd be able to whine about these problems too," she grinned._

 _Shane thought about it for a moment. "No!" He had exclaimed before they both burst out laughing._

 _Charlotte gave him a kiss on the cheek. "See you later, you be careful," she warned._

 _"Yes Mom," he sighed._

 _She smirked. "Good boy."_

 _Charlotte headed into the station, passing Rick Grimes as she went. She greeted him briefly before going to the locker rooms to collect her stuff._

 _She said goodbye to her colleagues as she passed before getting into her car and heading home._

 _"Back to hell.." she grumbled as she pulled into the driveway of her home that she shared with her husband._

 _Charlotte entered her house, instantly being greeted by her Great Dane. "Hey, fluffs, where the asshole?" She asked._

 _The dog barked and shot through the house like a bull in a china shop, knocking over a small table that held a vase. She watched as it dropped to the floor and smashed._

 _"I need to move that table," she mumbled to herself as she stepped over the broken pieces. "Outside," she ordered the dog as she opened the sliding doors to the backyard._

 _"Charlie, is that you?" She heard Matthew calling from the upstairs._

 _She rolled her eyes. "Who else would it be, Casper the ghost?" She asked sarcastically as she made her way up the stairs._

 _"Don't start Charlie; it was just a simple question."_

 _"A stupid one," she mumbled as she stood in the doorway of their bedroom, looking back at Matthew who was laid up in bed. "The sooner that," she began, pointing at his leg which was in a cast. "Is better, you are going back to work," she warned._

 _"I know, I know. It wasn't like I did it on purpose," Matthew grumbled._

 _She scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had," she said before turning on her heel and walking back down the stairs._

 _"Can you get me a beer?" He called as she got to the bottom of the stairs._

 _"Yes sir, no sir, three bags fucking full sir," she growled under her breath. "I'll feed the dog, sweep up this mess, cook dinner, wipe your ass...it's fine. That's the only reason we married after all so that I could be a damn maid," Charlotte grumbled angrily under her breath._

 _"I can still hear you!" Matthew shouted from the bedroom._

 _"Maybe you were supposed to hear!" She yelled back angrily._

 _Charlotte sat down on the couch. "Maybe it is me after all; maybe I'm the reason this marriage is going to shit."_

 _She heard Matthew call back. "I second that baby."_

 _She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Why couldn't she just allow herself to be happy, why did she always have to be a bitch to Matthew? Half of the time he didn't even do anything wrong, and she was biting his head off to cause an argument._

 _She loved him; she knew she did. She wouldn't have married him twelve years ago if she didn't, but sometimes she felt she wanted more. Maybe some excitement._

* * *

Charlotte sat around the campfire staring at the dancing flames; her mind rattled with thoughts as the people around her talked. She didn't know them; she didn't want to get to know them. They were not her friends or family, they were all gone, lost to those _things_.

She had Shane, yes, but that was different. He was a work colleague who would flirt shamelessly with her, and she would tease back, but they weren't friends, were they? He just put up with her for the sake of work.

She looked down at her police uniform, the one she had worn so proudly. She had no reason to keep wearing it, the police force was gone, the army - gone. They were alone; just a few survivors stuck at a quarry wondering what the next day would bring.

She missed her job as stupid as it sounded. She enjoyed being a part of a team, arresting criminals and making the streets safer. It gave her a purpose and now? Now she was just like everyone else, wondering what the next day would bring, would they survive until tomorrow? Would they have food, medicine and other supplies?

She looked up when she saw a familiar pair of boots stop in front of her, meeting Shane Walsh's eyes. "Hey Charlie," he smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm doing okay Shane, just fine," she stated, although it had been obvious to all that she wasn't at all fine.

She was struggling with the new way of living; she was struggling with the loss of people she knew and loved. Most of all, though, she was struggling with the harsh words that repeated in her mind, the last cruel words she spoke to her husband before he left for his surgery. She didn't visit him while he was in the hospital, she didn't try and find out how his surgery had gone, and she didn't answer a single call from the hospital at all.

Now the weight of his death held her down; there was no chance he could still be alive now, he was injured, he had just had his second surgery on his leg. He was gone, and she hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye, or tell him she hadn't meant what she said.

"You don't have to pretend," Shane said.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "I'm not pretending, I'm good Shane, honestly. It's just a big change all this," she said, motioning her hands to the whole camp.

Just a few feet away from her sat Carl and Sophia beside their mothers doing homework. Dale was on top of the RV keeping watch, Andrea and Amy were chatting away, Glenn was preparing for the next supply run, and the Dixon brothers were off to the side whispering suspiciously. It was all too much; there was too much change.

"I'm going for a walk," she announced as she stood up from the log she had been sitting on.

"You know you can't do that alone," Shane said shortly after.

Charlotte glared at him. The biggest change of all was the fact the dead had started walking and were slowly wiping out the human race. Charlotte wasn't stupid; this was the end for them all, and she wasn't going to pretend it was all sunshine and rainbows.

"I have my gun; I will be all right," she told him through gritted teeth.

Shane sighed, he always readily gave in when it came to Charlotte, her short temper wasn't something to mess with. "Fine, just be careful okay."

"Maybe I don't want to be careful," she mumbled as she walked towards the tree line. She looked over at Glenn as she passed. "Good luck," she said in a much calmer and nicer tone.

Glenn smiled awkwardly."Thanks, I have a feeling I'll need it."

Charlotte smiled and was about to speak again when the youngest Dixon walked past mumbling. "Luck ain't going to protect you from the geeks, you either die or you don't."

Charlotte scoffed. "Shut up asshole," she shouted back to him before turning back to Glenn. "I'll see you when you're back," she said before walking through the tree line, in the same direction Daryl had gone.

Glenn was a sweet one, he was much younger than her, but he was a nice guy and clearly had a big heart. All he wanted to do was help everyone; she just hoped that wouldn't end his life one day.

She walked through the sea of trees and bushes without a care in the world. It gave her a chance to clear her mind from what was going on

She had many unanswered questions about the new world, ones she knew would never be answered.

What caused the outbreak?

Was there a cure?

Is this the end or by some miracle could the world go back to how it was?

She placed her hand on the butt of her gun that was resting in her holster and rubbed her thumb over the cool metal. It was the same one she used while on the streets. She had used it more in the past month than she had in her entire career. She never thought she would kill people aimlessly, but she had to remind herself that the geeks were no longer people, just an empty, decaying shell of their former selves.

As she walked, she could feel a presence behind her. She knew it wasn't one of the dead; they made far too much noise to go unnoticed. She didn't look back, but she spoke up. "I know you're there," she announced.

She heard a scoff.

"No need to follow me, asshole," she grumbled.

"I ain't," her follower replied.

 _Oh, the sweet sound of that asshole redneck._

"You entered before me, either you walk at a snail's pace and I walked past you, or you're following me," Charlotte explained.

Daryl Dixon scoffed and glared at the back of her head. "Making sure your sorry ass doesn't get bit," he spat. "Don't need you going back to camp and killing everyone," he mumbled.

"Who cares if it does or not? I wouldn't be a loss to the world, none of us will be, we are all going to die, and the human race will cease to exist. This is the end, Dixon," Charlotte said as she stopped and turned around to look at him. "What's the point in even trying to survive? Why would anyone want their last days on Earth to be spent this way, just look at Carl and Sophia," she said, pointing back in the direction of the camp. "They are sat doing homework," she laughed and shook her head. "Algebra was fucking useless before the shit hit the fan, they sure as hell don't need it now."

Daryl just stared at her blankly for at least a minute. "You talk too much." He blurted out.

"Maybe you don't talk enough," she suggested.

He just shrugged and walked towards her, brushing past her as he continued deeper into the woods.

"Thought you were making sure my sorry ass didn't get bit?" She called after him.

Daryl briefly turned around. "Told you, you talk too much."

Charlotte followed him. "Maybe that's the best part about me."

"Merle wouldn't agree," Daryl replied.

"Yeah I know. He's told me exactly what the best part of me is," she said, cringing slightly as she remembered the conversation. Merle hadn't been in camp more than five minutes before he had approached her, eyeing up her breasts and pinching her ass as she walked away. He was the kind of man she would have arrested on a Friday or Saturday night. The only difference was, Merle wasn't drunk. He was perfectly sober and still believed it was acceptable to violate her.

Daryl said nothing in reply.

"I guess I'll head back then," Charlotte said as she looked around at her surroundings. "Hey Dixon, how do I get back? Which way?" She called back.

"Just follow your tracks," he replied as he continued to walk away.

"What tracks? I don't see any tracks?" She grumbled, but by the time she looked back in the direction she last saw Daryl, he was gone. "I guess I will find my way back then."

Charlotte began her slow journey back, her mind wondering as she walked.

* * *

 _"How could you be so damn stupid!" Charlotte snapped as she looked down at her husband who was laying in a hospital bed. His leg was being held up, and in a cast, he had cut's across his face and a bandage around his head._

 _"I didn't mean to, the damn thing just fell on top of me," Matthew grumbled._

 _"Diggers do not just fall on people," Charlotte scoffed. "Plus, Dave said that you had been swinging from the bucket," she said raising an eyebrow._

 _Matthew scoffed and looked around sheepishly. It was a telltale sign that he was about to lie. "What?" He exclaimed. "Now, why would I do something that stupid?" He asked._

 _"Because you are stupid?"_

 _"Why are we married?" Matthew asked with a huff as he crossed his arms over his chest, wincing at the movement._

 _Charlotte crossed her arms. "I wonder the same question every day," she said as she sat back in the hospital chair._

 _Matthew grinned. "It's because you love me."_

 _She scoffed. "I would love you more if you weren't such a dumbass."_

 _"But I'm a hot dumbass," Matthew smirked._

 _Charlotte too broke out in a grin. "Yeah, that's true."_

* * *

Charlotte finally made it back to the camp; it was easier than she had expected as she hadn't walked that far. As she entered the camp again, she noticed several members were missing. They were the ones that had gone on the supply run to Atlanta. Some of the women, were down by the water washing dirty clothes while Carol sat by the fire cooking up some food and whispering away to Sophia, her daughter.

Charlotte would have followed suit, but there was no way she was doing laundry and if she could get away with it, she would. She could cook, but the majority of the time she burnt something, and they didn't have the food to waste.

Instead, she made her way to her tent, laying back on the small camping bed and staring up at the sky through the little plastic window. The sun was high in the sky, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day, and for a moment she forgot about the danger that surrounded them until the memories flooded her mind.

* * *

 _"Hey, Shane, what's wrong, you look like you've seen a ghost," Charlotte joked as Shane entered the room where she sat drinking her coffee. She was the only one there; the entire station seemed to be deserted, and the few people that were there all had saddened looks on their faces._

 _"Haven't you heard?" He asked._

 _Charlotte frowned. "Heard what?" She asked._

 _"Rick.." He choked out. "Rick was...he's been shot," Shane replied, his voiced cracking as he spoke. The devastation and hurt he felt were evident._

 _Charlotte stood from her chair and instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight._

 _"H-he's strong, he'll get through this," she whispered. She hoped her words would be comforting because she knew her awkward and overly tight hug wouldn't be._

 _Shane just wrapped his arm around her, scrunching the back of her police uniform into his fist as he showed her an emotion she had never seen from Shane._

 _Shane was a joker; he smiled, laughed, but rarely got down, but it was evident to Charlotte that he was devastated, as was she. Rick was a well-respected team player and everyone at the station loved him. She hoped he pulled through._

 _"Why don't I drive you home, eh?" She suggested as she pulled away from the hug. She reached her hand up and wiped Shane's wet face. His eyes were red and puffy, and a steady stream of tears fell down his cheeks._

 _He shook his head and sniffed back the remaining tears. "No, no, I've got to tell Lori, her and Carl," he paused as he controlled his emotions. "They need to know," he stated._

 _Shane's entire attitude changed as he nodded his head, turned on his heel and headed out of the room, leaving Charlotte to stare after him._

 _The days after Ricks shooting was quiet at the station, everyone got on with their jobs, they still went out and fought against the criminals, but it wasn't the same anymore. Some of the newer recruits were worried they would end up with the same fate as Rick; others just wanted to work and keep their mind off things._

 _A week after Rick was shot the world turned a little crazy. It started with just one incident of a man coming back to life after dying and attacking a coroner. People had joked about it; the media had called it a publicity stunt. No one believed a man could come back to life after dying until they saw it happened before their very eyes. Just weeks later towns were being evacuated. People were scared; people were dying - the dead? Well, they were walking._

* * *

Charlotte continued to stare up at the sky, her mind still wandering back to the day she last saw Matthew.

A week before Charlotte evacuated her home; Matthew had been taken in for his second surgery on his leg. It was to take the pins out that kept the shattered bones together. He was lucky the hospital was even allowing it, considering all the pressure they were under from the new virus. Matthew had used their savings to go private, and with some bribing, he had gotten it done.

Charlotte was angry, he never even asked to use their savings, there were no joint decisions between them, he always did whatever he liked, never caring that it affected her too.

She had become mad, called him every name under the sun.

 _"You're a useless piece of shit! Go on, have the stupid surgery, use the money_ we _were saving for the IVF on_ your _fuck up," she snapped. She wiped her tears from her eyes. "Don't expect me to be here when you're back."_

She wasn't, well she didn't even know if Matthew managed to get back to their shared home. For all she knew he died that very day, she ignored the hospital calls. It was only when Shane came pounding at the door did she finally leave her house, but not without some resistance. She wanted to get Matthew, but Shane had repeatedly told her he was gone, there was no proof, but she knew herself that he wouldn't be able to escape with his leg in a cast.

She hated herself for the last words she spoke to Matthew. She shouldn't have been so mad, but before the world changed her biggest dream was to be a mother, but after years of trying she never once got pregnant.

They had both agreed IVF was the best way to go after that, they had tried with IVF twice, but it hadn't worked.

The savings they had left was for another round of IVF while the rest was for if she got pregnant. They hadn't been lucky when it came to saving money, mainly due to Matthew always getting injured at work, all because he liked to mess about.

It saddened Charlotte that she would never get the chance to be a mother, but she was also glad. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to raise a child in the conditions they were living in.

As she broke out of her thoughts, she heard the sound of a car alarm. It startled her enough to run out of her tent with her gun ready.

 _What could go wrong now?_

"What the hell is going on?" Charlotte snapped as she approached Shane who was stood beside the RV yelling at Dale, her hand was firmly on the butt of her gun in preparation for what was to come.

"A stolen car," Dale mumbled from on top of the RV as he looked through his binoculars down at the road leading to the camp.

The group waited impatiently and nervously by the RV until a red car appeared. Everyone let out a relieved breath when they saw Glenn in the front seat, but it soon turned into anger due to the sound the car alarm was causing.

"Turn it off!" Shane shouted.

"I-I don't know how" Glenn replied nervously. He was clearly intimidated by Shane.

Shane grumbled as he fiddled with the car, pulling at wires until the ear piercing sound finally stopped.

"What did you think you were playing at?" Charlotte snapped.

Glenn shrugged and let out a nervous chuckle. "I got a nice car," he said as he pointed to the car.

Charlotte held back a giggle as Shane chastised him, but it soon turned into an over dramatic eye roll as Amy began squawking, demanding to know where Andrea was. Charlotte knew she shouldn't be annoyed; she was naturally worried about her sister, but others were concerned about their loved ones and friends too.

Just seconds later a van stopped behind the other cars, Andrea, Moreles, Jacqui and T-Dog all got out and made their way to greet everyone.

Charlotte watched with a sad smile on her face, happy to see everyone back and alive, that was until she noticed the eldest Dixon wasn't with them.

" _Luck's running out_ ," she thought bitterly.

"That didn't go as expected," Charlotte mumbled as she stood by Shane. Shane didn't acknowledge her presence. Instead, he was watching something else.

"Dad!" She heard Carl exclaim.

Charlotte turned her head to see Carl running towards Rick Grimes, a man they all thought was dead. It was a touching sight, and Charlotte was happy that Carl had his father back, and Lori had her husband, but she was also jealous. Why couldn't it have been Matthew that came back?

Rick was clearly shocked to see her, and Shane stood there too.

"Charlie, Shane.." he began breathlessly. "I didn't think I'd see you two again."

Charlotte gasped dramatically. "You had that little faith in us? Surely you should know some brain munchers couldn't take us down?" She smirked.

Rick hugged her as he chuckled. "I'm glad I found you, I'm glad I found you all."

Charlotte hugged back. "I'm happy that you did too."

Rick pulled away and looked around the camp. "Wheres-" Rick began, and Charlotte knew what he was going to say.

"He's gone," she stated before he could finish asking his question about Matthew.

Rick and Matthew were closer than Rick and herself, even if she did work with him. Matthew had met Rick shortly after they graduated high school, they weren't best friends, but they kept in touch and went out for drinks now and then.

"I'm so sorry," Rick said sympathetically.

Charlotte glared at him. "Don't do that; you don't need to be sorry. Why do people fucking say that?" She snapped, causing a scene before walking away.

"Look at you, pissing her off already, just like work all over again, especially with you two thinking its fancy dress," Shane joked, looking down at Ricks uniform.

Rick chuckled and placed his hands on his hips. "There are somethings you just can't let go off."

Shane smiled. "It's good to see you brother."

"You too," Rick replied, embracing Shane in a manly hug. "Thank you for keeping them safe, Carl and Lori, thank you," he repeated as he slapped Shane back.

Shane looked down and nodded before slowly turning on his heel and walking away in the direction Charlotte had gone. "Only did what anyone else would," he called back.

"Charlie," Shane called out as he approached the quarry. He knew she could handle herself, but he couldn't be around Rick just yet, he needed to get his head around seeing his best friend alive. He was so sure he would be dead.

As Shane got closer to the water side, he could hear sniffling; he knew it was Charlotte and went o check on her. He found her crouched behind a rock, wiping away her tears as she stared across the water.

"Hey," he murmured as he sat down beside her.

"Hi," she replied, her voice sounded different from her crying. She sniffed and wiped her face again."I bet you're pissed," Charlotte said, finally meeting Shanes' eyes.

Shane furrowed his brows. "Pissed about what?" He asked confused.

Charlotte laughed, but without humour. "You're best friend is alive and well and has taken your girlfriend away," Charlotte began. "I'd be pissed too."

Shane's eyes widened slightly. "How did you-"

"I'm not fucking stupid Shane, why does everyone treat me that way? I can see you and Lori have some connection, it's just sucky for you that her husband came back from the dead."

"Me and Lori-" Shane began, but Charlotte cut him off.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me Shane, and you don't have to tell me to keep my mouth shut. There's a little boy involved; I ain't going to be responsible for his heart being trampled on because his parents are fighting," Charlotte explained. "Just don't do anything stupid," she warned.

Shane nodded. He wasn't sure how to reply or if he even needed too. He was going to question her, he knew the trouble wasn't needed, but Shane saw Lori as his now, he loved her, but Rick had come back and ruined it. There was no doubt in his mind that Lori hated him, after all, he had told her, her husband was dead.

Shane and Charlotte sat in silence, listening to the odd splash of the water as fish bubbled to the surface before diving back down.

Shane looked to Charlotte, her brunette hair fell over her eyes, covering the redness. "Why were you crying?" He asked.

Charlotte looked at Shane again, a fresh set of tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. "Because I am not lucky enough to be able to see my husband again. He's gone..." she choked out a sob. "He's gone."

She fell against Shane's chest. Shane held her tightly as she cried, her tears soaking his shirt. He rubbed her back soothingly, but she didn't let up with her crying. She had cried this much since they day he had come back from trying to find Rick and Matthew.

* * *

 _Shane rushed into Loris house, Finding Charlotte crying on the couch, while Lori and Carl stood huddled together._

 _"Rick, where's Rick?" Lori asked frantically. She made Carl look away as Shane slowly shook his head._

 _"I'm sorry," he whispered as he hugged her tightly against his chest, with Carl between them. "I'm so sorry."_

 _A small whimper came from the couch; he hated what he was about to do._

 _Slowly Shane approached Charlotte, taking her hands in his. It was like she was in some state of shock, she didn't want to believe what was happening around her._

 _Shane watched as Lori bundled Carl into the kitchen, both of them weeping._

 _"Wheres Matthew?" Charlotte asked. "Is he coming back?"_

 _"Charlie, I tried, I tried, but-"_

 _"No!" she screamed, slapping his cheek. "Don't you dare tell me he's dead, don't you dare!" she shouted as she repeatedly hit him._

 _"Charlie! Charlie stop!" Shane ordered as he grabbed her wrists to stop her. "He's gone, Charlie."_

 _Charlotte shook her head rapidly; her eyes were flooding with tears, and her cheeks were soaked. "No," she whispered._

 _"Come here," Shane whispered, pulling her against his chest and holding her tightly as she cried. He watched over her shoulder as Carl sobbed into Loris' shoulder._

 _He just hoped they never found out the truth._

* * *

 _ **Thank your for reading.**_

 _ **Please let me know what you think!**_

 ** _I would love to know what you think, is this story worth continuing from what you've read so far? This will be a slow burn romance._**

 **[Word Count: 5216]**


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